(Trinidad Guardian) Seriously consider taking the vaccine and the booster.
That’s the year-end message to their flocks from seven churches that have jointly called for an attitude of hope heading into 2022, as they warned against “divisiveness” and suggested that vaccination against Covid-19 become a tool for unity.
A joint statement yesterday from Trinidad and Tobago’s foremost Christian faiths also called for each person to “take responsibility for all” towards battling the pandemic.
The statement also mourned the loss of those who have been defeated in their battle with the virus, and offered commiseration with the loved ones left behind.
The release was endorsed by the African Methodist Episcopal Church, the Anglican Church of Trinidad and Tobago, the Methodist Church of Trinidad and Tobago, the Moravian Church of Trinidad and Tobago, the Presbyterian Church of Trinidad and Tobago, the Roman Catholic Church of Trinidad and Tobago and the Trinidad and Tobago Council of Evangelical Churches.
“Today we say goodbye to a year like no other in living memory. Our optimism entering 2021 gave way to realism and sometimes despair. Now as we say goodbye to 2021, we the Christian leaders of Churches in Trinidad and Tobago pray that optimism gives way to hope in 2022. Optimism believes that things will get better,” the churches stated.
Modern science
The churches noted that the nation has suffered from the cancer of divisiveness for many decades now, and said “that must not happen amongst us”.
They continued:
“We have an obligation to keep each other safe and to educate all for the service of the common good.
While you have a free choice concerning the vaccine, we urge you to see what modern science has done in fighting so many diseases that haunted the world 50 years ago—polio, measles, tetanus, flu, hepatitis B, mumps, chickenpox, malaria, etc. In the service of all, many were vaccinated.
“Many citizens are still struggling with the information surrounding vaccination and this pandemic. We all have an obligation to make an informed moral choice that serves the common good. It has been repeatedly reported that 97 per cent of the deaths from Covid-19 are unvaccinated people. Amidst the hesitation, we urge you to seriously consider taking the vaccine and the booster.”
They further stated, “As a source of unity, the church must not let the societal division between the vaccinated and the unvaccinated become a wedge in the Body of Christ. We must respect each other.”
The Churches added:
“This will demand a re-ordering of priorities at every level of our society as we keep in mind those on the margins.
“It will also demand dialogue and consultation with labour, economic stakeholders, civil society, religious leaders and Government to find a meaningful way forward.”
The Churches acknowledged that as a result of the lockdowns, many families have had loss of jobs, experienced depression, anxiety, physical, sexual and emotional abuse, and commiserated with the many families who have lost loved ones.
“We appeal to all citizens of Trinidad and Tobago to live with the highest degree of discipline during this Covid-19 time for the sake of protecting others, especially the most vulnerable by keeping the health protocols: wash your hands, wear your masks, and be very disciplined and respectful of others in public spaces by maintaining the stipulated social distance,” they pleaded.
They also reminded people that “if you have flu-like symptoms, any reason to believe that you were exposed or there is any doubt at all, please choose to quarantine and not come into public places, so that we keep everyone as safe as possible”.